Re: Alternatives to seafood

I think replacements for meat and seafood are always difficult, as nothing is quite like it. I am not familiar with the specific recipe you are referring to, but most likely I would just leave the seafood out and add a little more of everything else. If the sea food is prepared with a sort of marinade you could try marinading tofu or mozarella.If cooked seafood as added to a salad or to pasta at the very end, you might try (raw) avocado.Of course all of these would give a slightly different flavor even from very mild flavor, but it might give you just something that doesn't distroy the other flavors and get you a bit of the protein. And they are yummie things in their own right (the mozarella and avocado anyway - tofu without marinade seems to have almost no taste to it at all...)Almonds might be nice, too, and give an extra crunch.

Generally I am having problems to match anything to the flavor of saffron - have to admit that I haven't eaten it quite often enough.

1. Heat half of the butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan, add the onion and fry gently until it is soft and translucent.2. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice and stir over a moderately low heat until all the grains are glistening and beginning to turn translucent around the edges.3. Stir in a ladleful of boiling stock and simmer very gently until it has been absorbed. Continue adding more stock in this manner until the rice is thoroughly cooked and tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. This will take about 15-20 minutes.Stir in the saffron halfway through cooking. Stir frequently to prevent the rice sticking to the base of the pan, and season with salt and pepper.4. When the rice is ready, gently mix in the remaining butter and the Parmesan. The risotto should not be too dry, in fact, it should be quite moist. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Re: Alternatives to seafood

Hi Wildfire

I am a vegetarian! are there many others on this blog?

If you live near Chinese shops they often have vegetarian fish for sale in the 'Buddhist' department. Vegetarian prawns, abalone strips and other interesting creations. Sometimes you can find books like Vegetarain cooking (Wei-Chuan cooking school and publishers) in English and they have fake fish recipes.

I prefer vegetables. I am not sure about this particular recipe but with a saffron sauce pasta I use peas. They also have protein.

Re: Alternatives to seafood

Hi Patty, There are quite a few vegetarians in these forums I think, although I suppose most of us aren't. But then almost everyone has some kind of food issue: some have to be gluten free or lactose free etc. I think it's wonderful how you can get ideas here for almost anything.

Re: Alternatives to seafood

thats hard

to do what u ask

Cuisine that uses meat analoguesThese are vegetarian versions of popular dishes that non-vegetarians enjoy and are frequently consumed as fast food, comfort food, transition food for new vegetarians, or a way to show non-vegetarians that they can be vegetarians while still enjoying their favorite foods. Many vegetarians just enjoy these dishes as part of a varied diet.

Some popular mock-meat dishes include:

Veggie burgers (burgers usually made from grains, TVP, seitan (wheat gluten), tempeh, and/or mushrooms) In some cases, one can order a burger made without any mock-meat at all, see: "burgerless burger" Veggie dogs (usually made from TVP) Imitation sausage (soysage, various types of 'salami', 'bologna', 'pepperoni', et al., made of some form of soy) Mockmeat or 'meatyballs' (usually made from TVP) Vegetarian or meatless 'chicken' (usually made from seitan, tofu or TVP) Jambalaya (with mock sausage and mock chicken, usually made from TVP, seitan, or tempeh) Tomato Omelette where tomatoes and a paste of flour is used to produce a vegetable omelette without the use of eggs. Scrambled eggs where tofu is mashed and fried with spices (often including tumeric, for its strong yellow color) to produce a dish that is often nearly indistinguishable from eggs. Mycoprotein is another common base for mock-meats, and vegetarian flavorings are added to these bases, such as sea vegetables for a seafood taste.

Note that choa tofu and tempeh are components in certain cuisines in their own right, and do not necessarily take the place of meat.

National cuisinesIndian cuisine in Asia is replete with vegetarian dishes, many of which can be traced to religious traditions (such as Indian Brahmins). There are many vegetarian Indian foods such as pakora, samosa, khichris, Pulao, raitas, rasam, bengain bharta, chana masala, some kormas, sambars, jalfrezis, saag aloo, subji's (vegetable dishes) such as bindi subji, gobi subji, Punjabi chole, aloo matar and much South Indian food such as dosas, idlis and vadas. Chapati and other wheat/maida based breads like Naan, Roti Parathas are often stuffed with vegetarian items to make it a satisfying meal. Many Indian dishes also qualify as vegan, though many others also use eggs or dairy. South Indian foods like sambar,rasam,koottu,karembadu,upma,palya,kozhambu,Aviyal, Olan, Kadala curry, Theeyal, Pulingari, Chammandi, Chutney, and breads like Appam, Puttu, pathiri,dosai,idli and vadai. Spanish foods such as tumbet and many polentas and tapas dishes Latin American foods such as salsa & guacamole with chips, rice & bean burritos (without lard in the refried beans), many quesadillas, bean tacos, some chilaquiles and bean-pies, chili (no 'con carne'), black beans with rice, chiles rellenos, cheese enchiladas and vegetable fajitas. Italian foods such as most pastas, many pizzas, eggplant rotini, eggplant crostini, bruschetta, many risottos

Mushrooms stuffed with spiced quinoa.Continental cuisine such as ratatouille, braised leeks with olives and parsley, many quiches, sauteed Swiss chard, vegetable-stuffed mushrooms, sauteed Brussels sprouts with mushrooms and squash Many Greek dishes, such as dolmas and spanakopita Some Russian and Slavic dishes, such as soups (vegetable borscht, shchi, okroshka), pirogi, blini, vareniki, kasha, buckwheat, fermented and pickled vegetables, etc. Many Ethiopian dishes Mideastern food such as falafel (fried chick pea flour), hummus (mashed chick peas), tahini (ground sesame seeds), minted-yogurts, and couscous Chinese (and other far-Eastern) dishes based on the main ingredients being mushroom, noodles, eggplant, string beans, broccoli, rice, tofu and/or mixed vegetables Japanese foods such as tempura, edamame, name kojiru, and vegetable sushi; in Japan however, vegetarian often means no meat, which however includes fish. Miso soup is made from fermented white or red soy bean paste and water, garnished with scallions and/or seaweed. Some Thai cuisine, including dishes such as pad kee maow and many Thai curries. Creole and Southern foods such as hush puppies, okra patties, rice and beans, or sauteed kale or collards, if not cooked with the traditional pork fat or meat stock.

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